Inu Yasha: Yume no Kage
by liquidstar
Summary: A modern day retelling of Inuyasha. Can Kagome ever replace the dead Kikyo? It seems no one is giving her the chance to try.
1. 1

AN: New Inuyasha fic. I'll continue if I get reviews for it. It's an AU, set in modern day Tokyo. Japanese translations are at the end of the story.  
  
"Onii-chan! Tadaima!"  
  
Her cheerful cry was answered only by a male's tired groan of protest. As Shina put the groceries down on the table, she smiled knowingly at her brother's sleeping form. In their two room apartment, he couldn't get away from the noise even if he tried. Of course, he had every right to be tired. He'd been out working since 3:00 that morning, first at the fish market, and then at the sumo stable down the street. All for the yen that the two of them survived on.  
  
"I'm making chicken," she told him as she worked. "It was the cheapest meat they had today, and I could even roast it if you want. Should I?" She always kept up the running commentary, knowing it was the easiest way for him to wake up. "You probably haven't looked at the clock, but it's only 5:00, so before you yell at me for skipping out on juku, it got out early today! Takana-sensei is having a baby, isn't that great? Oh, and Ayame-chan's going to eat with us. I told her she could; I hope that's all right." As she slid the prepared chicken into the oven, she realized she had forgotten to take off her human appearance. With a sigh of relief, she let the spell slide.  
  
Shina flashed a fanged grin at her reflection in the oven door. As a human girl, her hair was a boring black and fell a bit past her shoulders, and her eyes were a dark blue. But now that the spell was gone, everything that was dulled down had come back to life. Her hair was longer and so dark it seemed almost azure, and her eyes glittered with a hint of violet. Her ears pointed slightly, and a black tail dusted her knees. The spell was necessary, of course, simply because humans were so generic and simpleminded, they couldn't possibly comprehend the beauty that a youkai represented. Beauty and pure, raw power. Especially that of a wolf youkai, like herself.  
  
As soon as the chicken entered the oven, she sensed that her elder brother had finally woken up fully, and she walked over to his futon, jabbing at the lump in the blanket with a finger. Yawning, Kotaishi sat up and regarded her with a black-eyed stare. "Chicken, huh? I don't want Ayame eating all of it, so you tell her that."  
  
Shina simply laughed. "Yes sir! Mind the oven, okay? I'm going to go change out of my school uniform and take a shower. If Ayame comes, tell her to set the table."  
  
Without waiting for an answer, she ducked into the bathroom and began to strip. She heard the front door open, and assumed by the clanging of plates that Ayame had arrived, and as the warm water ran over her body, she finally allowed her mind to wander.  
  
The only time Shina ever had to herself was in the shower. In her senior year at Tokugawa, exams seemed to take place almost every day, and after school she had dance practice and cram school, not to mention preparing dinner and doing her homework. Plus three days a week she worked as a waitress at Shounen-Tabe, a rich man's restaurant where she had to wear a short skirted uniform and pour drinks for well paying customers, all while making small talk and looking as if she actually enjoyed what she was doing. She was exhausted. Realizing the water would soon run cold; she flipped it off and dressed quickly. Dinner would be ready about now.  
  
As she walked into the main room where her brother and friend waited, she caught a bit of their conversation.  
  
"I'm telling you, it's absolutely scary! She looks just like Kikyo. It's as if Kikyo was back from the dead."  
  
Shina stopped in her tracks, her mind reeling. Kikyo. It had been almost a year, but the memories were still painful. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself and sat down beside Ayame.  
  
The young red-head smiled at her friend. "Hey, I was just telling Kotaishi about this new girl in my class. Her name is Higurashi Kagome. Did you hear about her yet?"  
  
Shina shook her head, and Ayame gasped, delighted that she would be the one to tell her. "Well, she transferred from another high school. Apparently some guy, Hojo, was annoying her or something. Anyway, get this! She walked into the room, and I thought she was Kikyo! They look so much alike. Kikyo didn't have a twin, did she? It's so weird!"  
  
"She can't look that much like Kikyo," Kotaishi interjected, and Shina flashed her brother a grateful look. Sometimes Ayame got so wrapped up in the latest gossip, she conveniently forgot about a person's feelings.  
  
Ayame was going to argue again, so Shina excused herself and got up, heading for the balcony. Once there, she took a deep breath. Her heart was pounding. Touching her cheek confirmed that tears were falling, but she ignored them. Instead, she leaned against the railing, staring out at the Tokyo skyline.  
  
She had met Kikyo in the third grade. Both girls wore bright pink peel-off nail polish and loved to dance, so instantly they were best friends. Of course, after getting to know each other better over the years, it seemed that nail polish and dancing were their only common interests, and even those died down after awhile. But as they say, opposites attract. Kikyo was quiet and elegant like the bellflower she was named after, whereas Shina was bright and vibrant, never afraid to speak her mind. Kikyo was captain of the archery club and was always at the top of her class. Shina was captain of the dance team, and while she was smart, she could never seem to stop talking during class.  
  
Still, the two were inseparable. When Kikyo discovered her powerful miko abilities; despite Shina's instinctive fear, she helped the other girl to develop them. When Kikyo was given the task of guarding the Shikon no Tama, Shina offered to help cover for her. And when Kikyo fell in love with the half youkai Inuyasha, Shina supported her best friend as much as she could.  
  
That night, a year ago, Kikyo hadn't wanted to go to Sango's party, but Shina had begged until Kikyo had finally given in. Once there, the girls had drifted apart; Shina to talk with some of her friends in the family room, and Kikyo to be alone in the front yard with her boyfriend. Once she had gotten bored, Shina went to the balcony to check on Kikyo and ask if she wanted to go home, but Kikyo seemed to be in a heated argument with Inuyasha. Shina watched Inuyasha stalk inside, but Kikyo didn't follow. Instead, she crossed the street, apparently trying to go home by herself.  
  
Shina herself didn't notice the car until it was too late. It sped by so fast it seemed almost a blur, but the moment it hit Kikyo seemed slow motion. She had looked so beautiful that night, with her long black hair floating down her back. She had been wearing a sheer white dress, and by the time Shina got to her it was soaked in blood. White and red, the colors of the miko.  
  
"Kikyo!"  
  
Kikyo had smiled slightly, opening her hand to reveal the jewel. "Take it to Kaede," she said softly. "Tell her I failed."  
  
Shina had tried to tell her best friend that she hadn't failed, that it wasn't her fault, but the miko lay dead in her arms and neither words nor tears would come. She had never noticed the police cars or the people surrounding her. Instead, she had taken the Shikon no Tama and ran.  
  
By the time she made it to the jinja Kikyo's family owned, Shina had been a sobbing, bloody mess. Old Kaede seemed even older as she took hold of the jewel once again, and Shina remembered her words quite clearly, as upset as she was.  
  
"So, it seems we must wait."  
  
"Wait for what?"  
  
"For the one who won't fail," Kaede had smiled wanly. "For the one who will rid us of this cursed jewel forever."  
  
A hand on her shoulder jerked her out of her memories, and Shina would have screamed if her wolf senses hadn't told her it was only her brother. She relaxed, and almost smiled as she felt him drape a blanket around her.  
  
"You've been out here awhile," he said quietly. "Ayame's gone home, and I cleaned up dinner, but there's a bit left if you want it. You're probably thinking about Kikyo, so I'll leave you alone." He turned to go back inside, but blinked in surprise as his sister threw herself into his arms, crying.  
  
"No one can take Kikyo's place! No one!"  
  
Kotaishi smiled sadly, staring up at the night sky as he hugged her tightly. It would be a year tomorrow. "I know, Shina. I know."  
  
-----------------------------  
  
Onii-chan- Big brother  
  
Tadaima- I'm home  
  
Yen- Japanese money  
  
Juku- cram school  
  
-sensei- teacher  
  
-chan- used for a good friend or someone significantly younger than you  
  
Youkai- spirit, usually malevolent. Translated by English dubs as 'demon'.  
  
Shikon no Tama- Jewel of Four Souls  
  
Miko- priestess, shrine maiden  
  
Jinja- shrine 


	2. 2

The alarm clock buzzed and Shimizu Sango groaned, turning over. Feeling about for the offending object, her hand knocked against it abruptly and it fell from her night table with a clang. "Fuck," She murmured sleepily.  
  
"Ane-ue, you missed the bus!" Kohaku stuck his head in her doorway, grinning at her predicament. "You'll have to take the late bus with all the ookami again."  
  
Sango's eyes widened. "Why does my alarm clock NEVER work?"  
  
"Maybe because you knock it to the floor every morning," Kohaku laughed, dashing down the hallway before the pillow hit.

After twenty minutes, Sango was finally ready to go and she yelled goodbye to her brother, stuffing a piece of toast in her mouth as she rushed out the door and down the street towards the bus stop.

It was a typical Tuesday morning in Tokyo, and streets were already crowded with people going to work and school. She almost tripped over a bunch of Sarayashiki junior high school girls as they chattered away, and she apologized through a mouthful of toast as the girls glared. Finally, she made it to the bus stop and ran up the stairs, grasping the railing for balance. Almost every seat was taken except one. Her heart sank. Sato Kouga, the most obnoxious braggart in school, and the leader of Tokyo's ookami youkai sat grinning at her. His dark hair stuck up every which way and his blue eyes were mocking. Flashing her a fanged grin, he patted the seat beside him. "Sit down, Shimizu-san."

Huffing, she sat stiffly with her schoolbag in her lap, and stared straight ahead. Kouga laughed. "So how's Inuyasha?"

"He's fine, as you know. You picked a fight with him only yesterday," She said primly, not even glancing in his direction.

"I remember it fondly," Kouga smirked, arms crossed.

"And now you're picking a fight with Sango," A voice sighed from across the narrow hall. Sango looked up and smiled at her friend Shina, one of the two ookami she could stand. "Can't you be good for once in your life?"  
  
Kouga simply grinned. "Nope."

As they pulled into the bus station, Sango stood up and walked quickly down the stairs, away from the annoying ookami. Hearing someone call her name, she turned and smiled. "Hi, Miroku!"

Miroku scooped his girlfriend up in his arms and gave her a kiss, much to Sango's embarrassment. She hated public displays of affection, but Miroku reveled in them. Chuckling, he took her hand and they started walking down the street together. "You weren't on the bus this morning, so I figured you were late again."  
  
"And you waited for me," Sango smiled. "Thank you."

"How could I do anything less, my darling Sango?"

"Cut the romance crap," came a surly voice behind them. Inuyasha, as usual, wasn't in a good mood. "Can we just get to school? I can't believe you made me wait twenty minutes for the goddamn late bus."

Miroku sighed dramatically. "Inuyasha, if you had some patience..."  
  
"Well I don't!" He growled. "So let's get a move on!" He stalked towards the building looming before them, swearing as a freshman on a bicycle swerved in front of him.

Tokugawa was a large public school consisting of six buildings. The main office was directly in front of them. Off to the left were the boy's language arts and math/sciences buildings, and to the right were the girl's buildings. At the edge of the campus was the club building which both sexes shared. The campus also offered a track field, soccer field, football field, an indoor pool, a basketball court, and a tennis court. As the three entered the front gates, they parted ways and went to their separate classrooms. Miroku and Inuyasha were in the same class, while Sango, a grade behind, was in Girls Class B.

As she put her street shoes in her locker and slammed it closed, she gasped in surprise. The girl next to her looked up curiously, and Sango's face grew white. Long, thick black hair, big eyes, pale skin... The resemblance to Kikyo was shocking. "Is something wrong?" She asked nervously.

Sango shook her head. "You look like someone I used to know, that's all." She smiled slightly. "I'm Shimizu Sango, what's your name?"  
  
"Higurashi Kagome." Kagome smiled back. "Think you could show me to Freshman D? A girl named Ayame showed me yesterday, but I think she's already up there."

"Oh, you're new?" Sango asked, gesturing for the girl to follow her. Kagome nodded.

"I just transferred from Tokyo District 56. My first day was yesterday."

"How do you like it here?"  
  
The younger girl shrugged. "It's bigger than D56, and I'm getting a lot of weird looks from people. It's sort of creepy," She laughed.

"It's probably because you're new," Sango lied. She pointed down the freshman hallway. "Fourth door on your left."

"Oh yeah!" Kagome nodded, looking around. "Okay, I remember! Thank you so much!"

"No problem!" Sango smiled. "Look, come find me during lunch, okay? I'm Sophomore B. We'll eat together."

"Really?" Kagome looked thrilled. "Gosh, you're so nice! Thanks again!" As she started down the hallway, Sango turned her back, lost in thought. A girl that looked that much like Kikyo would be trouble. She had to tell Inuyasha.


End file.
